Which fuel is the largest contributor to electricity generation in India?

Coal-based thermal power plants generate the largest share of India's electricity, roughly 70 per cent of the total electricity produced in a year. Although renewable energy capacity (especially solar and wind) has grown rapidly, coal still supplies most of the actual electricity because thermal plants run round the clock.

Why coal dominates:

• India has large coal reserves, among the largest in the world.
• Coal is relatively cheap and available within the country, which reduces dependence on imports.
• Thermal plants can supply steady "base-load" power, unlike solar and wind, which depend on weather and time of day.
• Large public sector companies, such as NTPC Limited (India's largest power producer, set up in 1975), run many coal-based plants.

Coal production in India:

• India is the second largest producer and consumer of coal in the world, after China.
• Coal India Limited (CIL), set up in 1975 with headquarters in Kolkata, produces most of the country's coal through subsidiaries such as Mahanadi Coalfields, South Eastern Coalfields and Central Coalfields.
• India also imports coal, especially high-quality coal for steel making.

Problems with coal power:

• It is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in India.
• It causes air pollution (fly ash, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides) and water use problems.
• Mining can lead to deforestation and displacement of people.

India's energy transition:

• It aims to have 500 GW of non-fossil fuel electricity capacity by 2030.
• By installed capacity, non-fossil sources (renewables, hydro and nuclear) now make up about half of the total, but coal still leads in actual generation.

Other sources of electricity in India:

Hydroelectric power, nuclear power, natural gas, solar, wind and biomass.

Why not the other options?

• ✗Natural gas plants contribute only a small share, mainly because of the high cost and limited supply of gas.
• ✗Diesel is used mostly for backup generators, not for large-scale generation.
• ✗Biomass contributes only a small share, mainly from crop and plant waste.